hi,
got geometry set and car still tramlines a bit and outside of tyres(front) are feathering/wearing slightly,
is this to much toe in?
i am on twisty roads most of the time and have been testing it out on corners,
wondering how easy would it be to set it up using a thermometer?
cheers again
colin

 

Could be all manner of things, most tramlining is caused by a particular make of tyre, some are terrible to some don't do it, if you have different tyres on the rear to front why not swap and see if the problem changes then you know it's the tyres, could always toe out a tad more, what is it at at the moment ?
You could also try a few psi more/less in the tyres to see if it improves.
If you want the absolute best grip you need twin tyre wheels, but makers shied away from this due to liability issues, two tyres on each rim at the front was monstrously better grip wis, pity it had real potential.
tabetha

 

Do you know what your current geometry settings are supposed to be Colin?

 

what camber is it running? tram lining can be caused by poor road surfaces,
If you want the absolute best grip on the bends you need to convert the whole of the uks roads into train track, this gives you plenty of cornering ability as the wheels act on the track preventing you from falling off. The only problem is you cant get off the track to park so it never took off. shame, it had lots of potential imo

 

front--camber is -1 degree 20 minutes. toe is 10 minutes
rear --camber is -1 degee 30minutes. toe is 10 minutes
just doesnt feel as good/safe as what it did last time i had it set up,only thing ive changed is put on bayjoo springs as my ggr springs had broken on the front,so have been used to it with broken springs,
like steering goes light on corners,same tyres/pressures aswell,starting to wonder about the ball joints,track rod ends although cant feel any play on them,
cheers colin

 

just a thought cars 4x4 saph cossie,still on 15" wheels,

 

Colin

Are you saying you've had the geometry done/measured since you've put the new front springs done?

 

yes mike was set up after new front and rear springs were fitted,
see problem i cant get my head round is-set up by place supposidly new what they were doing and wasnt happy,so went to the original place to get it done and before they started my front toe was 1 degree 9minutes oneside and -53minutes other side but was under the impression it was set to 10minutes!!!DICKS!!!(seemingly they set up scooby rally cars!lol)
so dont have much faith in these fancy 4 wheel laser alignment places just want car handling as good as it was,i was all over an evo on the twisties not convinced could now,
pretty sure last place has set it correct(to what i wanted)
cheers colin

 

Look on your set up sheet from last time, see what difference if any there is.
If you discover the only difference to be springs you know what caused it, and maybe why some don't like ab springs.
tabetha

 

Phone TROY from northampton motorsport, then go for a drive there, will be well worth it, also do corner weighting etc.
Personally I can't understand people who go for these beams with std struts springs, waste of money imo, do the struts(coilovers) springs first.
Money would be FAR spent converting rear to radius arm and strut arrangement.
tabetha

 

ive got 20minutes less negative camber than before on front,will try and work out later if that equates to alot,
rear feels fine and car sits nice and level,used to be high at back and low at front,
cheers colin

 

It's naff all, 1 degree is 60 minutes, being as a clock has 360 degrees and 60 minutes.
Some tracking places now use this to express angles, rather than what we are used to so in your case it is 20 minutes = 1/3 of a degree.
The radian is a massively better way of expressing angles but not used apart from in trigonometrics functions, these are easier to understand once you've got used to them.
With the introduction of the decimal system there was an attempt to clear things up a bit with defining a decimal degree as grad or gon, a right angle would have 100 gon, a full cirle 400 gon, but anyway 1/3 of a degree, not enough imo.
tabetha

 

Have a look at this link Colin under 'feathering' http://www.procarcare.com/includes/c...dtirewear.html

Might be useful info for you

As a first line of call I'd get your geometry checked somewhere else first ( just for a second opinion ) seeing as you're not happy with it. Also check all your front end bushes and joints carefully.

 

Did you feel the boy at methven did a good job col ?

 

ye kev,they seem pretty good

 

I wasn't 100% happy with them so am getting it re-done elsewhere.

 

where you going this time kev?
hows your car handle?tramline?tyre wear?
im getting bit pissed off thats £100 on wheel alignment this month!!
starting to wonder if to much toe in for my style of driving,i dunno,
colin

 

hypertech in bonnybridge col,mine handles really well but isnt sitting right

 

kev,you on bayjoo springs?what settings was it set to?whats your shocks set at?
cheers colin

 

i am col yes,set to mike rainbirds advised settings but sits a wee bit higher at one side,konis set hard at back and mdium fronts

 

As long as you are happy that there is nothing broken or worn out then you might as well make some adjustments yourself. Loosen the steering arm and adjust the toe then tighten back up. Then go for a spin and see what you think. Keep doing it until you think it feels right. I have my front wheels at zero (roughly). If I need to measure I use a long bar thing that I picked up for £20.

Your description sounds like you have a bit of toe out so maybe adjust this slightly and go out in it.

Are you using adjustable top mounts? Are your bushes OK at the top of the struts and the top mounts OK?

Charlie

 

If the rear is now lower than before that will cause the car to behave differently to start with. As for the front end just have a play until you get it somewhere near what you want then get it checked properly.

 

cheers charlie,
all bushes are good,all ball joints are under a year old and feel ok,poly top mounts/standard style,adjustable tca's
will toe out wear outside edge of tyre?
is it worth getting a thermometer to try set it up?
just unsure whether to give more toe in or out to start with,
does 1 turn move it 1mm?


cheers craig,
ye front was well slammed(mainly due to broken springs but was low when they were fitted) and rear looked near higher than standard,looked pants!lol,but went round corners well,lol
now actually feels like ive suspension on the front,
will maybe just have to get used to it,but the tyre wear concerns me,


will give another check over for play anywhere then go for a blast

thanks guys

 

just the same settings then,
my beam was hitting a rivet on passenger side and seat belt bolt on drivers side,rivet was stopping it hitting bolt so was sat higher/lower on one side,not a big job,if you slackened beam off take seat out,chisel/drill head off rivet,put washers under seat belt bolts or cut most of the plain bit off the end of bolt,probably 5mm,just watch not damage threads its unf,ive tap and die if needed tho,
colin

 

If your running negative camber on the front with toe out i wouldn't think it would cause excessive wear on the outer edge. Possibly too much toe in. Not sure what 1 turn will equal but if you keep it the same each side you shouldn't get it far out

 

Aaaahh,it's the passenger side that sits very slightly higher on mine col might be that,what does the rivet do on the car ? ?

 

seems to just fill a hole,lol

 

Is it a big rivet then ?

 

no its about 5mm diameter but sticks through a good bit,no reason for it as far as i could see,does just seem to fill a hole,i had my beam off not long ago and snipped the end off,you just replace it with a short rivet again

 

Kev yours isnt sitting right because of the adrenline beam fowling the floor,causing the rear geometry to be incorrect,this isnt the boys at methvens fault,but your beams fault,tell him colin we know all about this,

cheeRS stu

ps never read the complete post,how long have i been telling you about this problem with danny b beams kev,gives a phone tonight

 

hey stu,
yes tis true,i forgot i bashed fuck out the floor to ensure it wasnt hitting,although i wonder if they hit the floor more on an escort,
mine is now not touching anything,
cheers colin

think i'll try and toe it out a wee bit over the weekend or more negative camber on front?
i assume you wouldnt want more camber on the front than on the rear?
cheers

 

No, but you can do it by eye. Look from the front and if it looks like your wheels are pointing straight, widen the toe out by a turn then try it. You'll be able to tell the difference. You don't need to do each side, just one side. Your steering will be slightly off centre but don't worry about that while you experiment.

You have adjustable TCAs? Are they the same length? Have you tired shortening them?

Charlie

 

tabetha - why has 4 front tyres got more potential?

more lateral strength due to more sidewalls? seperate tyres can be at different angles on the same side of the car?

 

Youve never seen underneath the car since the beam was fitted Guess we'll find out next sunday then we can bash fuck out o mine lol.,

 

i thought if the out side of the tyre was wearing it would be not enough negative camber?

 

charlie,the tca's are as short as can be,so i can only get more negative camber,print out says 10mins toe i assume toe out would be -10mins?
ye jammers i wondered that,
just dont want to move to many things at the same time,
i assumed to much toe in as outside edge is getting the wear,but would it tramline with toe in?is 225 tyres,
cheers again colin

 

"update"
have managed to find play on one of the tie bar/drumstick ball joints,so im assuming this is my problem,
anyone know the best place to get them?
think i got my last ones from ford,but think ggr now sell them,
i was thinking its probably best to replace the pair?
cheers again guys
colin

 

Pm'd you col,but where EXACTLY did you have to 2massage" the floor ?